Operational Art: Lessons from Japan's Malaya Campaign and Capture of Singapore.
Abstract
The Japanese Malaya Campaign and capture of Singapore is a classic illustration of the mastery of Operational Art. On 8 December 1941 Japan launched the invasion of Thailand and Malaya with the intent of capturing Singapore. Nearly the entire world watched, shocked, as the considerably outnumbered Japanese forces advanced over 700 miles through the "impossible" Malayan jungles, capturing the "impregnable" Fortress Singapore in only 70 days. This paper attempts to evaluate the source of Japan's tremendous success by focusing the analysis on some elements of the Japanese concept of the Operational Idea in Campaign Planning as well as their application of the Principles of War in the hope of developing lessons of value for future practitioners of the Operational Art.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 16, 1995
- Accession Number
- ADA298126
Entities
People
- Susan M. Chiaravalle
Organizations
- Naval War College